By Chris Williams: Trainer Freddie Roach believes that his fighter WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao (54-3-2, 38 KO’s) is the best fighter in all of boxing, even better than what most fans arguably agree is the best fighter in the sport Floyd Mayweather Jr. It’s easy for Roach to say that fight now because Pacquiao still hasn’t fought Mayweather and I guess Roach can continue push that line until the fight takes place and fans see once and for all that Mayweather is clearly the better fight.

Roach told examiner.com “We [translation: Pacquiao] are pound-for-pound the best fighter in the world. We are taking on all challenges. We can’t turn people down. That’s not what we are all about. We will fight anyone anywhere. Manny Pacquiao will prove he’s the pound for pound king.”

I love how Roach always says “We” when he’s talking about who Pacquiao is going to be fighting. He’s not the one that’s getting hit, so I have a hard time stomaching the whole “We” bit. He’s not the one that’s going to be getting wiped out when and if Pacquiao ever gets around to fighting Sergio Martinez and Mayweather. But they are turning guys down. There’s no interest from Pacquiao’s side in fighting Martinez, and they haven’t been accepting Mayweather’s generous fight offers to get it on. So they’re not fighting everyone. Who they are fighting is mainly for the most part Top Rank guys. Three out of the last five opponents Pacquiao has fought were Top Rank fighters in the same stable as him. And now in his next fight on June 9th, Pacquiao is taking on Timothy Bradley, a new Top Rank signee. That will make four out of his last six fights Pacquiao will have fought Top Rankf fighters.

I’d like nothing more than to see Pacquiao break the mold and step out and fight Mayweather and Sergio Martinez but I don’t see it happening.